Edmund K. Moon

The Best of the AACR Journals Collection: Author Profiles

Edmund K. Moon

Title & Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Interventional Pulmonary and Thoracic Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Q: What is your primary area of study/research?A: It is twofold: 1) characterizing the immunologic tumor microenvironment in thoracic malignancies and 2) augmenting adoptive T-cell immunotherapy for thoracic malignancies.

Q: What influenced your decision to embark on a research career?A: I entered medical training without any interest in cancer, from neither a clinical nor a research perspective. However, a well-established, long-lasting, fruitful research relationship between the interventional pulmonary group and the thoracic oncology research lab, and a rapidly progressing T-cell immunotherapy initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, all piqued my interest simultaneously, influencing my decision to invest in a cancer research career.

Q; What excites you most about your research area?A: Directing a young thoracic malignancy immunotherapy research lab while working with a team of like-minded interventional pulmonologists at an academic institution that houses an internationally renowned cancer center allows for the ideal bench-to-bedside-to-bench research experience. This unique opportunity is what excites me most in my research.

Q: What are your hobbies or passions outside of work?A: I enjoy watching my two sons grow in their various talents (through chess tournaments, orchestra performances, and travel soccer games) and seeing my wife excel in her own research career (she works right next door to my workplace, at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania). I also enjoy music and photography. My greatest passion is my Christian faith. Whereas for many, science may seem to be at odds with faith, I believe science endorses faith.